Spark Chapter 2.1 - Spark

Standing before the mirror, Tae Pyunghyun, freshly shaved, ran his hand along his smooth jaw and clicked his tongue against his front teeth, making a sharp sound. He toyed with the gold necklace he never took off all year, chuckling to himself, only to grimace as a pang hit his stomach. To think that just drinking that much last night would make him suffer like this the next day. But so what? Even with the hangover’s bite, his mood was nothing short of euphoric. After all, yesterday he had found the prize.

He had drunk himself into a stupor, so he couldn’t recall how he got home or when the two young guys he was drinking with had left. Did they say goodbye, or not…? He tried to piece together the previous night’s events but soon gave up. He’d see them again soon enough anyway. If he missed their farewells yesterday, he could get them later. Today wasn’t a collection day, but Tae Pyunghyun prepared to head to Promise Coffee Shop regardless. His purpose, however, wasn’t Go Baekwoo—it was Cha Hongjo.

Even though he himself roamed Wonseon-dong collecting petty debts, who would’ve thought such a face could exist in that rundown neighborhood? Despite the memories blurred by alcohol, Cha Hongjo’s features remained vivid in his mind. That guy was definitely going to be a goldmine. Tae Pyunghyun’s oily smile grew wider the closer he got to Promise Coffee Shop. By the time he reached the place, he was practically buzzing with excitement.

Sure, kids these days looked polished, raised on good food and coddled, but a face fit for stardom was rare. The few talents out there were usually snatched up by established companies that had already carved out their turf. He had to make do with grooming guys who were always missing something in their looks—they were side dishes, not the main course. You’d only know the real deal after flipping the cards, but he’d learned not to expect much and had grown cautious about investing.

But Cha Hongjo was different. If things went as expected, this guy could skyrocket to fame. If it all worked out, Tae Pyunghyun could claim credit for discovering him, earning a solid mark with the big brother and maybe even securing a bigger role for himself. Not just babysitting some kid.

Then again, the kid in question was none other than Go Baekwoo, so babysitting wasn’t exactly a bad gig. Still, there was pride to consider. On the surface, it looked like he was the one leading Go Baekwoo around, but the reality was different. Catering to that cocky kid’s attitude was enough to make him clutch his neck and collapse. He needed to grab hold of another blade before that happened. There were plenty of others in the organization who could play the glorified nanny role. The big brother would surely pick someone suitable.

“Well, well—what kind of lucky charm rolled in, heh heh…”

Tae Pyunghyun hummed a made-up tune as he peered through the coffee shop’s window. But the face he wanted to see wasn’t there. Instead, his eyes locked with those of Go Baekwoo’s mother, Lee Heejin. Without hesitating long, he pushed open the coffee shop door. The bell jingled, and Lee Heejin rushed out.

“Well, good day, madam. Hard at work as always, I see.”

“What’s this about?”

Lee Heejin’s face was clearly flustered. It wasn’t a collection day, so it made sense she’d react this way.

“Did I leave something behind yesterday…?”

“Come on, madam, do I look like the kind of guy who’d forget to pick up his stuff?”

If you got technical, he was here to pick up something. Tae Pyunghyun grinned slyly and took a seat at an empty table.

“Coffee, please. Prima, extra strong.”

Lee Heejin didn’t bother hiding her discomfort and lowered her voice.

“We agreed you wouldn’t come unless it’s collection day.”

Promises were made to be kept, and with the biggest brother’s strict orders, Lee Heejin’s words were spot-on, leaving no room for excuses. In his excitement over discovering Cha Hongjo, he’d acted impulsively. But he couldn’t just head back home now, could he? If word got to the biggest brother, he might get chewed out before he could even pitch the prize.

If he’d known where Cha Hongjo lived in the first place, he wouldn’t have come to the coffee shop at all. So, the plan was to have Go Baekwoo call Cha Hongjo out today, get what he wanted, and never again show up at the coffee shop on a non-collection day.

Smack. Clicking his tongue as if savoring something, Tae Pyunghyun lowered his voice to match Lee Heejin’s.

“You’re right, madam. But I had no choice—something urgent came up. Let’s keep my visit here today a secret from the biggest brother, yeah? So, uh… Baekwoo’s upstairs, right?”

“Why do you want Baekwoo?”

At the mention of her son’s name, Lee Heejin’s tone sharpened instantly.

“Hey, don’t get mad…”

“Did he tell you to bring Baekwoo?”

“No, no, you’ve got to let me finish.”

“If it’s not that, then why Baekwoo? There’s still… time left, isn’t there? Why, already?”

“Madam.”

It seemed Lee Heejin had completely misunderstood. Growing impatient, Tae Pyunghyun cut her off.

“I’m not here for you, and I’m not here for Baekwoo either. I just need to ask Baekwoo something, and it’s got nothing to do with the biggest brother. Got it?”

“Ask him what?”

“I said, don’t get mad… Anyway, there’s this friend of Baekwoo’s, right? Cha Hongjo.”

Tae Pyunghyun’s lips curled into a sly grin.

“That’s why I’m here.”

“…Why his friend?”

“To gobble him up.”

Tae Pyunghyun mimed wrapping something up and chewing it, smacking his lips.

Even after hearing that her son wasn’t the target, Lee Heejin’s uneasy expression didn’t fade.

“Heh heh…”

Coffee could wait. Tae Pyunghyun lit a cigarette and watched Lee Heejin as she walked to the counter and picked up the phone. He alternated between puffing out a stream of smoke with a chuckle and whistling a tune.

“Well, well—what kind of lucky charm rolled in…”

‘Baekwoo, you awake? Your friend there? Alright, then… can you both come down to the shop?’

Whenever Park Jungjin came over to the house, Go Baekwoo’s mother would call them to the shop and serve them a cup of yuzu tea each, so Go Baekwoo didn’t suspect anything and came down to the coffee shop with Cha Hongjo. He had no idea he’d come face-to-face with Tae Pyunghyun.

“Baekwoo.”

If only this were a dream.

“…Why are you here?”

Tae Pyunghyun greeted them with a nauseatingly wide smile, and Go Baekwoo was about to demand why he was there. But Tae Pyunghyun, as if he hadn’t even heard him, turned his gaze to Cha Hongjo. Go Baekwoo shut his eyes tightly, then opened them. In that moment, Cha Hongjo brushed past him and sat across from Tae Pyunghyun.

“Pretty boy.”

Go Baekwoo stood frozen, glaring at the two men he wanted to tear apart by any means necessary. Cha Hongjo tilted his head to meet his gaze, then shifted to the side, patting the empty seat next to him.

“Sit.”

“…”

The mother who’d called them down was nowhere to be seen. Well… what fault was it of hers? She must have had no choice but to call under Tae Pyunghyun’s pressure. If anyone was to blame, it was himself for not leaving the house earlier with Cha Hongjo. Go Baekwoo stabbed himself with belated regret as he sat down next to Cha Hongjo.

“Well, look at that—such tight buddies, huh? Even the great Go Baekwoo’s acting all obedient.”

Tae Pyunghyun sneered. Go Baekwoo responded by narrowing his brow slightly. Normally, Tae Pyunghyun, bear-like but surprisingly sharp, would’ve barked at him to loosen up his face, but today was different. His full attention was on Cha Hongjo, naturally.

Cha Hongjo, receiving the intense stares of two very different men, waited for the real topic to surface over the table, which held only a lone ashtray. The wait wasn’t long. Tae Pyunghyun lit a cigarette, brought up yesterday’s events as gossip, and, while cackling to himself, stubbed out the shortened cigarette to get to the point.

“Hongjo, listen closely to your big brother, got it?”

Since when were they close enough for “hyung”? Tae Pyunghyun casually called himself “big brother.”

“I’ve got a sharp eye, you know. I don’t just tell anyone to try their hand at stardom.”

Starting with self-praise, Tae Pyunghyun rambled about Cha Hongjo’s potential as a celebrity.

“If you need me to convince your parents, I can come along and talk to them.”

Parents. Cha Hongjo leaned back in his chair, letting out a weak laugh.

“No need for that.”

“Why? Oh, haha. Right, if I had a son who looked like you, I’d push him to be a star too…”

“I don’t have parents.”

Cha Hongjo was calm, while Tae Pyunghyun and Go Baekwoo froze, as if time had stopped for them.

“Is that so?”

As Go Baekwoo’s lips twitched, Tae Pyunghyun spoke up.

“With a face that polished, I thought you were some rich heir. Well, fine. Less hassle, which is great.”

Less hassle, great. Cha Hongjo gave a faint smile and nodded slightly, as if in agreement. Tae Pyunghyun grew even fonder of Cha Hongjo, who didn’t show a trace of sadness despite talking about his absent parents. In contrast, Go Baekwoo felt a deep sorrow, as if he himself were utterly alone. That sadness was invisible, unnoticed by anyone…

“Hongjo, you’re destined to be on TV, heh heh.”

If his parents had objected, it would’ve been a headache, but the situation was convenient. Tae Pyunghyun, relieved that his biggest concern was resolved, let words pour out like an airplane speeding down a runway. The topics were Cha Hongjo’s potential for success as a celebrity, the stacks of cash he’d earn, the public’s adoration, the fame… and the steps he’d need to take to get there.

“Then let’s go pay respects to the biggest brother soon.”

“Biggest brother?”

Cha Hongjo asked, and Tae Pyunghyun glanced at Go Baekwoo for a moment.

“Yeah, the one who’ll have your back, so you’d better make a good impression. Got it? Get some nice clothes before you meet him.”

Tae Pyunghyun reached out and lightly tugged at the sleeve of Cha Hongjo’s short-sleeved shirt. Under the table, Go Baekwoo clenched his fist so hard his knuckles turned white, wanting to chop off Tae Pyunghyun’s wrist.

“I’ll talk to the big brother first, and next week should be perfect… By the way, Hongjo, where do you live?”

There was no place to call home anymore. Cha Hongjo tilted his chin upward, as if pointing to the ceiling.

“Up there.”

“Up there? Isn’t that just the madam’s place?”

“I’m staying there, with Baekwoo.”

He planned to move to another place soon, but for now, that’s where he was.

“What? Go Baekwoo, is that true?”

“…It’s true.”

Go Baekwoo, seated at the table, spoke for the first time, his low voice restrained.

“No way, what? Did you… run away? No, wait, no parents, so it’s not running away, is it? Anyway…”

Tae Pyunghyun paused, rolling his eyes before lighting another cigarette and continuing.

“With the madam there, is it okay for you to stay? Isn’t it?”

“It’s fine.”

Go Baekwoo answered. Tae Pyunghyun twisted his lips into what might’ve been a smirk and exhaled smoke.

“Did you ask the madam if it’s okay?”

“…”

“Alright, fine. Since it’s come to this.”

Tae Pyunghyun slid the cigarette pack on the table toward Cha Hongjo.

“I’m gonna be Hongjo’s manager, so you can stay at this big brother’s place from now on.”

“…”

Silently, Cha Hongjo picked up the unfamiliar cigarette pack.

Tae Pyunghyun left the coffee shop, saying he’d come back early tomorrow to pick up Cha Hongjo. Go Baekwoo and Cha Hongjo returned upstairs.

“Don’t go.”

The moment the front door closed, Go Baekwoo pleaded.

Still in his shoes, Go Baekwoo grabbed Cha Hongjo’s waist as he stepped onto the floor. Cha Hongjo wrapped his hand around Go Baekwoo’s wrist, turned, and gently pried off the hand holding him.

“Where to?”

“You really don’t know?”

Facing him, Go Baekwoo’s cheeks and eyes were flushed. It wasn’t cold enough for his blood to freeze. So what was the red tinge coloring his pale skin?

“That gangster’s place?”

“Yeah.”

His loyal, dog-like eyes trembled with anxiety, yet glistened. It seemed as though thick tears might spill over, seeping into his dense eyelashes any moment.

“Don’t go to that bastard’s place… Don’t trust him.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s a gangster.”

“You said you’re gonna be a gangster too. Should I not trust you either?”

“…Damn it, just… listen to me.”

No master in the world listens to a dog. It’s the other way around. Cha Hongjo cupped Go Baekwoo’s cheek. The vibration traveled through his palm. Go Baekwoo, no, Pretty Boy, was trembling like a ripe peach about to fall to the dirt.

“Gonna cry?”

“Be a celebrity. You… you can do it.”

Even with the taunting tone, Go Baekwoo didn’t flare up.

“But don’t roll around under those gangsters. You can be a celebrity without that.”

He was just acting stubborn.

“Pretty Boy.”

Cha Hongjo slid his hand up, passing over Go Baekwoo’s forehead and threading his fingers through his soft brown hair.

“No matter how I look at it, it’s such a waste.”

“What do you…”

Go Baekwoo, unable to finish his sentence, squinted one eye. Cha Hongjo had grabbed his hair and pulled. His one-eyed view was filled with Cha Hongjo.

“Your face is too good to waste on being a gangster.”

They were close. Cha Hongjo’s breath brushed Go Baekwoo’s lips before it could dissipate.

“Being a gangster is for people whose faces don’t matter if they get scratched. Not for Pretty Boy.”

“…”

“Baekwoo.”

The three syllables of his name, spoken by Cha Hongjo, clung to his lips. But Go Baekwoo had no room to feel joy.

“Wanna be a celebrity with me, Hyung?”

“…”

Out of nowhere, suggesting they become celebrities together. Go Baekwoo couldn’t read Cha Hongjo’s intentions. He couldn’t answer rashly, so he grabbed Cha Hongjo’s hand, still clutching his hair, and pulled it down. The grip that had painfully tugged at his hair loosened gently, as if giving in.

“How about it?”

Cha Hongjo asked again, letting Go Baekwoo interlace their fingers. No matter how you looked at it, being a celebrity was a hundred, a thousand times better than being a gangster. He couldn’t understand why Pretty Boy hesitated. But surely, there was a reason.

“What’s there to think so hard about… Is it a no?”

If so, he wanted to hear the reason.

“It’s not that it’s a no.”

“Then why?”

“…”

He’d stood at a similar crossroads before, receiving a “scouting offer” wrapped in pretty words. Back then, Go Baekwoo hadn’t thought long and chose the path of using his fists. On the surface, making money as a celebrity seemed much better. It was, of course, legal. As Tae Pyunghyun had said, there’d be things to go through before appearing on TV, but you’d only know the details by experiencing them.

So why had he chosen that path? The reason must’ve been trivial since he picked so easily, but he couldn’t remember. Go Baekwoo racked his brain. Why had he wanted to be a gangster? Why not a celebrity…

Maybe he thought he lacked the talent. He’d often been praised for his voice, but his singing was average, and he’d never even tried acting, so it was obvious he’d have no skill without a mentor. They’d said they’d provide teachers for singing and acting, but he doubted that would improve his abilities. That was his excuse. In truth, he probably just wanted an easy life. He’d been swinging his fists since he was young, hoping to be a boxer, and he was confident in that.

“I don’t really want to.”

“You want to be a gangster?”

“…”

When asked like that, he had no answer. Of course, he didn’t want to be a gangster either. When two ropes were dangled before him, he just picked one. Either way, he thought it could change his and his mother’s fate.

Yeah, either way…

“You really want to be a celebrity?”

“I’ll do it if I do it. If it sucks, I’ll quit.”

As long as he could live well with his mother, either path was fine. That’s how it had been before he met Cha Hongjo. He’d lived as things came, making choices with his mother in mind when faced with a fork in the road. If you said he’d matured early, Go Baekwoo had built his life around his mother, not himself.

“…Alright, Cha Hongjo.”

But now, having met and fallen for Cha Hongjo, things were different. The axis that controlled his life had grown to include one more person besides his mother.

His mother was someone to support and protect, while Cha Hongjo was someone to watch over. That’s the only way he’d feel satisfied. He was desperate to keep Cha Hongjo by his side. He wanted to cage him. But Cha Hongjo, so light he’d float away with a single breath, seemed impossible to contain.

“Cha Hongjo…”

Go Baekwoo, who’d been staring at their clasped hands, lifted his head. Cha Hongjo tilted his chin, as if urging him to speak.

How he’d become so obsessed with Cha Hongjo was bewildering. This half-baked love had exploded into existence and was spreading in real-time, consuming Go Baekwoo. He wasn’t unaware of it.

“I.”

He felt it deeply.

“Can’t I be your manager?”

He felt it but couldn’t think of escaping.

“Not Tae Pyunghyun.”

He decided that as long as he could hold onto Cha Hongjo, it didn’t matter what he became.

“If you say it’s okay, I’ll talk to them.”

He impulsively voiced a rash decision. No shame, no regret.

He didn’t know exactly what a manager did, but wasn’t it someone who took care of a celebrity’s needs? Tae Pyunghyun had declared himself Cha Hongjo’s manager, but there was no way that gangster could be trusted to handle Cha Hongjo’s every move. Go Baekwoo, setting aside his own lack of talent for stardom, had found a way to follow a path suited to him while not losing Cha Hongjo.

He didn’t care if people pointed fingers, calling him pathetic for flipping his future over a stranger he was infatuated with. As long as he could stay by Cha Hongjo’s side, he was willing to endure anything. Right now, he craved Cha Hongjo above all else. If he could quench that thirst, nothing else mattered. He could recklessly upend his present and future.

Ah, he was blinded. By Cha Hongjo.

The realization came a beat too late, ineffective.

Yes, he was blinded.

Even sensing the danger, Go Baekwoo showed no sign of retreating. He gripped Cha Hongjo’s hand even more desperately, as if confessing the intensity of his heart.

🔥

“What kind of nonsense is this all of a sudden?!”

The next day, as promised, Tae Pyunghyun came early to pick up Cha Hongjo. His face flushed red as he raged. Cha Hongjo was nowhere to be seen, and Go Baekwoo, appearing alone, had declared he’d take charge of Cha Hongjo’s affairs instead.

“What do you know that makes you think you can work in my place? Huh? Do you think this is a game just because your friend is a performer?!”

Tae Pyunghyun, who had been yelling at the top of his lungs early in the morning, loud enough for the neighbors to open their windows and watch, gathered phlegm and spat it out. Disgusted by the sight, Go Baekwoo briefly averted his gaze before looking down at Tae Pyunghyun once more.

“I never said it was a game.”

“If you don’t know shit, then it is a game, damn it.”

Tae Pyunghyun’s eyes, fixed on Go Baekwoo, boiled with rage.

The credit for discovering Cha Hongjo would not disappear just because he had another subordinate as a manager. He had volunteered to be the manager himself, but that was purely because being a manager was much more respectable and convenient than being a ‘babysitter’. So the problem was that the subordinate who volunteered to be the manager was Go Baekwoo.

Judging by that bastard’s eyes, he wasn’t about to back down. What good was a sleek appearance? Tae Pyunghyun inwardly chewed on the disparaging remarks he couldn’t bring himself to utter. Stupid bastard, clueless son of a bitch….

‘Did he tell you to bring Baekwoo?’

‘No, you need to listen to people until the end.’

‘Then why Baekwoo? There’s still… more time. Why, already.’

As Mrs. Lee had said, more time needed to pass. It wasn’t time yet. Go Baekwoo shouldn’t be involved in the organization’s affairs until he finished high school. That was the biggest brother’s order, and that was the promise between the biggest brother and Mrs. Lee.

“No, no! If your friend wants to be a manager, at least match the color, huh?”

“What color are you talking about?”

“Your face, your face.”

Tae Pyunghyun grabbed Go Baekwoo’s chin with his thick fingers. Go Baekwoo only twitched his eyebrows.

“With your pale face, you’ll freeze to death as a manager. Does that world look easy to you? Just learn what you’re supposed to do. You’re not ready.”

“I’m supposed to learn after I graduate high school. I thought I’d learn in advance from now on…”

“You stupid idiot. If I say I’m going to have a kid take care of the guy we finally found, do you think the biggest brother would ever fucking allow it, huh!”

Agitated, Tae Pyunghyun roughly kneaded Go Baekwoo’s chin. The rough handling made his white cheeks flush red.

Insolent bastard, no matter how much he cursed, he had never laid a hand on him before. Go Baekwoo wondered what the reason was for Tae Pyunghyun to be so angry that he was acting out of character. Even though they weren’t close, from what he had seen so far, he wasn’t the type to burst into anger at any given moment.

“Then.”

Go Baekwoo spoke and grabbed Tae Pyunghyun’s wrist. Whatever the reason for Tae Pyunghyun’s anger, there was no need for him to just stand there and take it.

“Should I get permission from the biggest brother?”

Tae Pyunghyun’s features contorted.

“….You fucking bastard, aren’t you going to let go?”

Conversely, Go Baekwoo tightened his grip. Something was strange. His gaze went to Tae Pyunghyun’s temples. It was a fall morning long after summer had passed, not even hot, but he was sweating profusely. And what about the eyes looking up at him? Tae Pyunghyun wasn’t angry, he was flustered. It couldn’t be because his wrist was grabbed.

Tae Pyunghyun had criticized Go Baekwoo for being clueless, but that wasn’t entirely true.

“Even if I get permission from the biggest brother, I can’t?”

“I’ll break your fucking fingers! Huh!”

“….Can’t I even if I get permission from the biggest brother?”

Go Baekwoo repeatedly pointed out the point where Tae Pyunghyun had started to get flustered, and looked around. He had made a commotion in the neighborhood, so there were many eyes watching. At this rate, even his mother….

“Baekwoo!”

“….Ha.”

Why does realization always come a step late? Go Baekwoo, frowning at his mother’s voice, released Tae Pyunghyun’s wrist. Tae Pyunghyun rubbed his reddened wrist and cursed. Regardless, Go Baekwoo turned to his mother, who had run down the stairs.

“Mom…”

“Get inside!”

He had just opened his mouth without even thinking of an excuse for having a loud argument with Tae Pyunghyun in the morning. But Go Baekwoo only uttered the beginning of his sentence and closed his mouth tightly.

“Go inside the house, quickly!”

“…….”

“Go Baekwoo!”

Go Baekwoo had never seen his mother so enraged.

“Fucking hell… things are going well, aren’t they.”

Tae Pyunghyun muttered as he watched Mrs. Lee and her son. Lee Heejin pushed Go Baekwoo’s back. Go Baekwoo was helplessly pushed. At first, he intended to calm his mother down, go back inside the house together, and then come back out to settle things with Tae Pyunghyun, but it seemed like it wasn’t the right situation to do so.

“Even when I told you to go inside!”

Lee Heejin only took a few steps before turning back and shouting at her son, waving her hand. Go Baekwoo hesitated for a moment, then climbed the stairs.

He didn’t go inside the house.

“You…”

Go Baekwoo, leaning against the wall, strained to hear the faint voices.

“Why are you here… that… Baekwoo… yesterday… lied…”

He couldn’t deduce anything from the fragmented words he caught.

“…….”

But this situation was definitely strange.

Ever since he started working for Tae Pyunghyun, on collection days his mother would hide in the back of the store or go up to the house and come back around the time Tae Pyunghyun left. He thought it was all because his soft-hearted mother was afraid of the large-bodied subordinates.

Even though the conversation he could hear was sporadic, it was enough to notice the anger mixed in his mother’s voice. It was really strange. The mother he knew wouldn’t be so angry at Tae Pyunghyun just because he had called her son out early in the morning and caused a disturbance in the neighborhood.

“….Mrs. Lee… calm down… please!”

Moreover, Tae Pyunghyun was acting nervously towards his mother. Really, really, everything was strange. It wasn’t as if he was still half asleep….

Go Baekwoo habitually rummaged through his pockets for a cigarette, but sighed when he found nothing, and looked towards the front door. Cha Hongjo, who had been so sleepy that he came out alone, was still asleep?

‘Don’t… go out…’

Thinking of Cha Hongjo, who had mumbled with his face buried in the pillow without even opening his eyes, made him want to see him again. Cha Hongjo didn’t seem to be the diligent type, so he was probably still sleeping or lying awake. He could see him if he just took a few steps. What a joyful thing. This was why people get married, he thought.

He glanced at the front door, which was open about a handspan, perhaps because his mother, who had rushed out, hadn’t closed it properly, and then looked back outside. Tae Pyunghyun scratched the back of his head and lit a cigarette, and his mother was coming back this way. Go Baekwoo went back down the stairs he had come up and stood by the front gate before his mother arrived. His mother, whose eyes met his, pulled up the corners of her mouth. It was an awkward smile. It made her son watching her feel upset.

Eventually, Go Baekwoo asked his mother, who had come right up to him,

“What’s going on?”

“It’s nothing for you to worry about.”

Lee Heejin grabbed her son’s arm, which was holding onto the gate, and pulled it down. Go Baekwoo moved aside to let his mother pass. Lee Heejin stepped onto the stairs first. Mother and son remained silent as they climbed the stairs together.

“Mom.”

Click. Go Baekwoo, who had closed the front door, called out to his mother, who was about to go straight into her room. Lee Heejin turned around.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m okay.”

Lee Heejin nodded and turned the doorknob of her room as if she had nothing more to do, but stopped and looked at Go Baekwoo again. Now, to meet her son’s gaze, which was growing taller by the day, she had to raise her eyes considerably.

“Baekwoo.”

“Yes.”

“Is Hongjo… in his room?”

Go Baekwoo glanced at his room. No sound came from behind the closed door.

“Yes, I think he’s sleeping.”

“Okay, eat with Hongjo when he wakes up.”

“What about you, Mom?”

“I’ll just change my clothes and go eat downstairs at the store.”

“Okay.”

As soon as her son answered, Lee Heejin pushed the door open. Creak… Amidst the sound of the old hinges, she called her son once more.

“Baekwoo.”

“Yes.”

Go Baekwoo answered as he took off his slippers and stepped onto the floor.

“I’m sorry.”

“….Don’t say that.”

He looked down at his mother’s hand patting his shoulder. Then, he looked at his mother’s face, which faintly bore the traces of a lifetime of hardship. She had gotten married at twenty and given birth to him, so if she was young, she was still young.

Click. As if trying to hide even those faint traces, his mother disappeared into her room. Something caught in Go Baekwoo’s throat, who was left alone. It was a sense of guilt accompanied by a strange melancholy. He felt like he hadn’t done anything wrong….

Go Baekwoo tore his dry gaze away from the closed door and headed to his room.

As soon as he entered the room, his eyes met Cha Hongjo’s.

“My pretty boy’s back?”

“Yeah. You’re awake?”

Cha Hongjo didn’t answer, but shifted his body and patted the space next to him.

“Come here.”

Go Baekwoo closed the door behind him, pressed the doorknob with his thumb to lock it, and sat down next to Cha Hongjo. Even though they had been lying in the same spot just a few hours ago, it felt new, perhaps because he had woken up. It wasn’t awkward, but he felt slightly tense….

“Did you tell him? That you’re going to be my manager.”

Cha Hongjo, sitting up, threw off his shirt and asked. Go Baekwoo glanced at his exposed skin, gulped, and quickly raised his gaze.

“….Yeah.”

“Did he allow it?”

“I didn’t finish talking to him.”

“Hmm….”

Cha Hongjo didn’t ask why, or what would happen, he just exhaled. Wasn’t he even curious? Go Baekwoo then followed Cha Hongjo’s gaze as he knelt down, bringing his thighs up.

“I’ll talk to him again tomorrow, or some other time.”

“That’s up to you.”

Cha Hongjo grabbed Go Baekwoo’s chin.

“Did you get hit?”

The moment his thumb brushed against a certain spot, Go Baekwoo winced at the stinging sensation.

“Is there something there?”

“There’s a scratch.”

It seemed like he had been scratched by Tae Pyunghyun’s fingernail or something. He regretted not looking in the mirror before coming in. He wanted to look impeccable in front of Cha Hongjo, without a single blemish.

Cha Hongjo, tilting his head and bringing his face close, muttered as he examined the area around his chin.

“Scratching this face, fuck….”

Go Baekwoo swallowed hard again.

“Leave it, it’s fine.”

I said it’s fine.

Cha Hongjo stuck out his tongue and licked his thumb.

“Disinfection.”

He then traced Go Baekwoo’s scratch with that same thumb.

“…….”

Go Baekwoo touched the spot where Cha Hongjo’s touch had lingered. The ‘disinfected’ area tingled. His nape, cheeks, and ears felt hot. His eyes, flushed with the same heat, looked up at Cha Hongjo.

“Why are you looking at me like that, all red? Making Hyung’s heart flutter.”

“You must seduce women like this too.”

“I’m not seducing you, are you already smitten?”

He had been smitten a long, long time ago.

“Yes.”

At his answer, Cha Hongjo laughed refreshingly, making even the observer feel good, and crawled closer to Go Baekwoo on his knees.

“It’s all red… Your ears are red, your eyes, nose, mouth too.”

Cha Hongjo’s fingers brushed against his earlobes, eyelids, nostrils, and lips in turn. The heat intensified. Go Baekwoo thought he must be even redder than he had been just a moment ago.

“Shall we see if your tongue is red too?”

“…….”

Then, the grip on his chin tightened, and his lips were forced open.

“Stick out your tongue.”

As Cha Hongjo instructed, he stuck the tip of his tongue out. Cha Hongjo tilted his chin and came closer. Opening his lips, he gently wrapped his tongue around the tip and sucked…. Go Baekwoo closed his eyelids and grabbed Cha Hongjo’s bare shoulder.

The lips that had lightly sucked his soft tongue soon completely covered Go Baekwoo’s lips. Go Baekwoo drew his tongue back as if swallowing it, then pushed it back out into Cha Hongjo’s mouth. A slippery flesh wrapped around the side of his tongue. Responding to it, he curved his tongue and wrapped it together, then sharpened the tip and licked the corner of Cha Hongjo’s palate. The hand that had been holding Cha Hongjo’s shoulder slid upwards, covering his long neck with his entire palm. He deliberately placed his thumb on his Adam’s apple. As he licked from the root of Cha Hongjo’s tongue to the bottom, the pointed Adam’s apple shot up and then returned to its original position.

Suddenly, he became curious about what kind of expression Cha Hongjo was making. As soon as he opened his eyelids, their eyes met far too closely. Their gazes locked, as if they would blend together like their intertwined tongues.

Because his vision was filled only with thick eyelashes and jet-black eyes that seemed to suck him in, Go Baekwoo didn’t even realize Cha Hongjo was smiling. Cha Hongjo, with his lips curled into a smile, turned his head and grabbed a fistful of Go Baekwoo’s hair, forcibly twisting the angle. Their intertwined lips grazed each other diagonally from their original positions. They were pressed together and became round before regaining their shape.

Meanwhile, the saliva that had pooled under their tongues overflowed and wetted the corners of their mouths. Cha Hongjo moved his lips slightly outward, lightly swept up Go Baekwoo’s lower lip to wipe away the saliva, and then went back down. His lips touched the spot where his jawline curved and the middle of his neck, and then fell even further.

“Ah….”

Go Baekwoo let out a breathy sound between his parted lips as the area where his neck and shoulder blades connected was bitten. As if to soothe him, Cha Hongjo stroked the back of his head and sucked hard on the exposed skin with his canines. He persistently did this for a while.

“Ha….”

A scent, perhaps of soap or detergent from his clothes, wafted dizzily from Go Baekwoo’s skin. Cha Hongjo removed his lips and raised his head. Go Baekwoo, facing him, had an expression that wanted more, but…

“Now the spot I marked is the reddest.”

He pretended not to notice and rubbed the red mark he had made with his thumb.

“I’m going to wash up.”

And he stood up. Go Baekwoo, who had jerked his head up so it wouldn’t snap back, opened his lips as if to say something, but just stood up as well.

“….We’re going to eat, right?”

“Yeah, after I wash up. Give me some clothes.”

“Top and bottom?”

“Yeah.”

Go Baekwoo nodded and immediately opened a drawer, rummaging through it for clothes Cha Hongjo could wear. But his thoughts were elsewhere. He pretended to be nonchalant, but he was disappointed. He wanted to kiss more, and other things too….

His mother must have gone down to the store by now, so he and Cha Hongjo were the only ones at home. If it hadn’t been Cha Hongjo, he would have been able to do as he pleased without hesitation. If it hadn’t been Cha Hongjo….

“Here.”

“These seem too big.”

The more entangled he became, the less he understood Cha Hongjo.

He called him ‘pretty boy’, treated him affectionately, and even engaged in intimate physical acts. Then he disappeared without a trace like autumn leaves facing winter, and reappeared out of the blue just when Go Baekwoo felt like he was about to wither away.

“Should I give you something else?”

“It’s fine.”

Yesterday, he suddenly suggested they become entertainers together. When Go Baekwoo impulsively offered to be his manager, Cha Hongjo seemed momentarily pleased. But today, when he told him that he hadn’t finished talking to Tae Pyunghyun, he didn’t ask about the details and just said ‘It’s up to you’ as if it were someone else’s business.

“Towel is…”

“In the bathroom.”

“Okay.”

Then he acted as if he were treating a lover, touching his wound and looking concerned, and then he seductively initiated a kiss. After acting as if he would touch him to his very core, he turned his back with a bored expression as if nothing had happened.

He had fallen for Cha Hongjo, but Cha Hongjo only dipped his fingertips into his feelings as if testing the waters, then pulled them back. No, even that might just be his delusion. He didn’t really know what Cha Hongjo’s intentions were in treating him the way he did. He didn’t know what kind of person he was to Cha Hongjo either. He might be like a spring flower, praised for its beauty but easily forgotten once it withered….

Go Baekwoo longingly followed Cha Hongjo’s back as he left the room with his eyes. But even that gaze couldn’t reach him in the end. Cha Hongjo gracefully disappeared from Go Baekwoo’s sight.

And about thirty minutes later, Cha Hongjo returned to the room with water droplets clinging to his hair. Go Baekwoo stood up, holding the clothes he had prepared at his side.

“I’ll wash up too and come out soon. Let’s eat.”

Cha Hongjo kept his mouth shut and just ruffled his hair with a towel. Go Baekwoo hesitated for a moment, wanting to hear at least a short reply, but eventually moved his feet. The bathroom was filled with the steam Cha Hongjo had left behind. It was damp and hazy, like fog.

And just like that, Cha Hongjo disappeared again.

Go Baekwoo, who came out to the living room with dew clinging to him like the last image he had seen of Cha Hongjo, noticed the desolate air and immediately headed back to the room. There was no one there. In the small house, Cha Hongjo was nowhere to be found.

However, unlike before, Cha Hongjo’s whereabouts weren’t simply unknown. Originally, Cha Hongjo was supposed to go to Tae Pyunghyun’s house today. The appointment was in the morning, so it was quite late, but that didn’t mean it was impossible. Go Baekwoo picked up the phone, then realized he didn’t know Tae Pyunghyun’s home phone number and jumped to his feet. He then rushed outside, putting on a thin coat without even drying his hair.

He didn’t know Tae Pyunghyun’s phone number, let alone his address, but it wasn’t difficult to track him down. Because he knew the ‘office’. The office was a den where gangsters like Tae Pyunghyun gathered to lend money. Money lending was euphemistically called finance, but in reality it was loan sharking. He had decided to become Cha Hongjo’s manager, but originally, it was the business he was supposed to learn soon.

Having followed Tae Pyunghyun, who had told him to show his face and greet his seniors in advance, was all he had done, but retracing the footprints etched in his memory, he arrived without getting lost. Go Baekwoo, who had run without a single break, wiped the sweat from his forehead as he climbed the stairs. The place was dark even in broad daylight, and reeked of stale cigarette smoke.

“Oh, who is this? Isn’t it Baekwoo?”

As he pushed open the metal door covered in stickers and stepped into the interior, where the smell of cigarettes was even stronger, the woman in charge of accounting at the office acknowledged him. There was no time to thank her for remembering his name even though she had only seen him once. Go Baekwoo bowed his head and immediately got to the point.

“Is Tae Pyunghyun big brother here?”

“Tae Pyunghyun isn’t here today. Why?”

“Do you know his phone number? It’s urgent…”

“What’s so urgent? Just sit and wait, I’ll call him.”

Where would he find the time to wait? The thought that he might not be able to drag Cha Hongjo back to his house made Go Baekwoo find it hard to control his urgency.

Since Cha Hongjo was so unpredictable, he might have suddenly changed his mind and not gone to Tae Pyunghyun. The possibility wasn’t zero. Cha Hongjo wouldn’t know Tae Pyunghyun’s contact information or address either, so unless Tae Pyunghyun came back to the house to pick Cha Hongjo up… If he had come to the house, he should have heard something, voices, the door, anything. Why hadn’t he noticed? He hadn’t noticed anything again and had missed him, idiot.

Go Baekwoo, led by the accountant’s hand and seated on the sofa, kept fidgeting. His restless appearance looked pathetic even to himself, so he clenched his fists and tried to endure it. Still, he couldn’t control his racing heart. Strangely, it was always like this when Cha Hongjo wasn’t around. He was anxious that he might never see him again. He felt depressed. His longing wept, revealing its vulnerable flesh at even the briefest absence of Cha Hongjo.

Unaware of his feelings, the accountant leisurely dialed Tae Pyunghyun’s home phone number.

Accountant Yu Minseon, holding the receiver to her ear, stared intently at Go Baekwoo and thought,

“Hmm.”

Now it’s hitting me.

“It seems to be true…”

He really resembles the chairman.

The last time he came to the office, she was too busy admiring his handsome features to notice anything else. But looking at him so closely now, the chairman’s features were clearly overlaid on his face. The chairman was handsome, but even considering his age, he was far from having a delicate appearance, so she had her doubts. But it seemed he really was his son. Looking at each of his features individually made it obvious. The shape of his eyes, which played the most crucial role in determining his impression, was slightly different, but the uncommonly bright color of his irises was the same. The sharp bridge of his nose, which looked like it would cut you if you touched it, was also identical. And his broad shoulders, tall height, and unusually long legs. The back she had seen earlier, apart from the difference in clothing, could have easily belonged to Chairman Go. Blood will tell, as they say, even his gait and posture were similar.

Well, it wasn’t like the chairman was the type to take someone else’s bloodline and raise them as his own son…

The fleeting angry expression on his face left no room for doubt that he was indeed his son. That must have been exactly what Chairman Go looked like in his younger days.

While Accountant Yu was looking over Go Baekwoo in fascination, the ringing tone calling for Cha Hongjo continued endlessly. No one knew how parched and cracked Go Baekwoo’s insides felt.

🔥

He thought he’d messed up today after unexpectedly getting into an argument with Mrs. Lee, but he still had to take Cha Hongjo with him, so he waited in the car for now.

Then, seeing Mrs. Lee going down to the teahouse, he hurried up to the house. Hiding like a rat didn’t suit him, but even Tae Pyunghyun, of all people, was in a sorry state. But what choice did he have? Mrs. Lee had threatened to tell the ‘biggest brother’ if he met Go Baekwoo privately again before the ‘appointed time,’ so he had no choice but to comply.

“Really… Tsk.”

Tae Pyunghyun clicked his tongue as he turned the steering wheel.

Mrs. Lee was no ordinary woman either. Well, she wouldn’t be ordinary if she managed to separate her bloodline from that ‘biggest brother’ and even get such a promise from him. The circumstances between a man and a woman are only known to the parties involved, but both Mrs. Lee and the biggest brother… Really, if they were going to cherish their son so much as to involve a third party, they should have stayed together and maintained their family instead of separating in the first place.

“Well… whatever.”

One way or another, it worked out. He had safely brought Cha Hongjo, the lucky charm, with him. Tae Pyunghyun glanced at Cha Hongjo, sitting next to him, through the rearview mirror.

“Hongjo, did you eat?”

He asked, intending to buy him a meal since he couldn’t give him any more ‘rice cakes,’ figuratively speaking. But Cha Hongjo only glanced at him, taking out a cigarette without answering.

“I can smoke, right?”

He asked after already lighting it. Tae Pyunghyun rolled down the window instead of answering.

Judging by his speech and behavior, he wasn’t the most well-mannered kid, but what could he do? To survive in the entertainment world, it was much better to be a bit sly and have guts than to be a naive fool. Anyway, he was a lucky charm.

“Let’s buy clothes first if you’re not hungry.”

“…….”

Even a lucky charm needs to learn how to respond, though.

“Hongjo.”

“…….”

“You should say ‘yes’ when you’re called.”

“Yes.”

Fortunately, it seemed like he wouldn’t be difficult to teach.

At that moment, they stopped at a red light. Tae Pyunghyun took his hand off the steering wheel and grabbed a cigarette. As soon as he lit it, the light changed.

“You said your parents aren’t around, right?”

Tae Pyunghyun asked casually as he turned the steering wheel again.

“Yes.”

“No relatives either?”

“Yes.”

“So you’re an orphan?”

“Yes.”

“Is that so? When I first saw you, you know? Huh? I thought you were some rich kid. You had such a refined air about you. So don’t be discouraged, that kind of story works well as a backstory once you become an entertainer, so it’s not that bad. Drama. Stars need drama.”

“…….”

Regardless, Cha Hongjo looked completely uninterested. Well, it was a waste of breath to explain drama and such to a kid who hadn’t even debuted yet. He’d figure it out on his own as he started preparing and experiencing things.

“But, oh my… I forgot. Hongjo, what about your school?”

“I don’t know.”

“Didn’t you say you’re in the same class as Baekwoo?”

“We go to different schools.”

“Where do you go?”

“Cheongdae High, but I won’t graduate.”

“Why won’t you graduate?”

Tae Pyunghyun turned his head sharply to look at Cha Hongjo, then checked the road ahead again. The department store was just past the intersection.

“I don’t go often.”

“I wouldn’t know as a gangster, but these days, if you want to be an entertainer, you need to graduate… So you go to school from tomorrow, okay?”

“Even if I go from now on, I won’t graduate.”

“Really?”

“…….”

What to do? Should he have him take the GED then…?

While Tae Pyunghyun, already immersed in his role as manager, was pondering, Cha Hongjo threw his finished cigarette butt out the window and sank back into the seat.

It was time for his pretty boy to have realized that he had disappeared.

Cha Hongjo hadn’t refused or responded to his offer to become his manager. He had been skeptical, believing it wouldn’t happen as Go Baekwoo wished.

Become his manager. With what qualifications? It was easier said than done. Being a manager wasn’t something you could just become because you wanted to. What idiot would willingly hire a greenhorn who hadn’t even graduated high school?

Moreover.

‘Me.’

It was burdensome.

‘Can’t I be your manager?’

At that moment, Go Baekwoo’s brown eyes…weighed heavily on him. Seeing that familiar, dog-like loyal gaze made him think he should quickly pull away before they got more entangled. Even if it had been someone else, the result would have been the same. He didn’t want to get deeply involved with anyone. He didn’t have any ill feelings towards Go Baekwoo. Nor did he feel sorry or guilty. He just pictured it. Go Baekwoo’s appearance when he discovered his empty space.

“Ha…”

It was obvious what a dog abandoned by its owner would look like. Whimpering. Pitiful… Was he pitiful? No, he wasn’t. Even if he truly was, he wasn’t in a position to feel pity. Pity and lingering feelings were useless for the one leaving. Just like his mother, just like his father.

Tae Pyunghyun’s unnecessary mention of parents had made him fall into an unwarranted sentimentality. Cha Hongjo frowned and closed his eyes. The wind swirling in through the open window was annoying. He fumbled for the handle and turned it. The window went up and the wind subsided. Where did the blocked wind go, where was he going, and…

‘I couldn’t buy cigarettes because you weren’t there.’

‘Oh, really?’

‘Yeah. So don’t go anywhere now.’

He wished his pretty boy would stay in the same place every day, waiting.

‘Don’t go.’

Who knows, he might miss him…

“…….”

No, he wouldn’t.

If he became an entertainer, there would be plenty of pretty boys around him, so would he really miss him? The coal mining town where he used to live, Yanggye-dong where the cigarette shop was, Wonseon-dong where his pretty boy lived, or even here, in the heart of Seoul. Wherever it was, his appearance was uncommon enough to pique his interest. But if similar beauties became commonplace, he would soon forget.

Moreover, wasn’t Go Baekwoo a man? He had kissed him, rubbed against him, he had played around enough with a guy.

🔥

In an alley just a 10-minute walk from the house he used to live in with his father, the house now occupied by his uncle, whom he could call a stranger, Cha Hongjo smiled secretly. The neighborhood where the gangster, who volunteered to be his manager, took him, claiming it was his house, was Tanjeon-dong. Whether it was a tiresome fate or a surprising coincidence, only God would know.

Tae Pyunghyun, who looked like he lived in a sunless, cramped room, lived on the second floor of a multi-family house. It was a spacious house for a man living alone. Of course, there were other rooms. His boast that it would be comfortable wasn’t a lie.

“Take the blanket out of the closet. It’s your room now, so keep it clean, got it?”

Tae Pyunghyun’s tone was laced with self-satisfaction.

“Make yourself at home. Big brother will take care of business, so rest. Okay?”

He didn’t feel the need to reciprocate the unsolicited kindness, so he didn’t even nod. However, the excited Tae Pyunghyun hummed a tune. Cha Hongjo tore his gaze away from Tae Pyunghyun, who patted his shoulder, then squeezed it hard and turned to leave, and closed the door. Conversely, he pushed open the window. Although the room appeared clean, a musty smell lingered in the air.

He only glanced at the wardrobe where the blankets were supposed to be and lay down directly on the bare floor. His back felt the hardness, but it wasn’t unbearable. He habitually took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and chewed on his lips without lighting it. The white tip bobbed under his nostrils.

Boring.

Meanwhile, Tae Pyunghyun, who came out to the living room, unplugged the phone and headed to his room. He swept aside the empty cigarette packs, coffee cans, bills, and other things scattered on top of the TV stand in his bedroom, which he used as his bedroom, placed the phone there, and plugged it in. The phone rang immediately. At 8 pm, he couldn’t think of anyone who would call other than Taegu complaining of boredom. He answered anyway.

“Hello.”

— Tae Pyunghyun.

Tae Pyunghyun, who had a gloomy expression, brightened up at the voice he heard.

“Oh, our Accountant Yu is calling, what’s up?”

The caller was none other than Yu Minseon, the accountant at the office and the object of Tae Pyunghyun’s affections.

— Are you busy?

Glancing at the closed door, Tae Pyunghyun let out a silly chuckle and replied,

“Busy, my foot.”

It was a day he didn’t have to go to the office, and he had successfully brought Cha Hongjo home. Now he just had to wait for the next day to dawn.

“I’m free. Why?”

— Oh, that’s good then.

Tae Pyunghyun touched his lips as he waited for Accountant Yu’s next words. Judging by her gentle tone, it didn’t seem like anything urgent had happened. But if she called outside of working hours, it must be a personal matter. Personal matters between a man and a woman were obvious, even without elaboration. He didn’t usually contact Accountant Yu personally, but his luck seemed exceptionally good today and yesterday. Not only was he going to make Cha Hongjo a superstar and turn his life around, but he was also about to get married.

“…….”

But Accountant Yu was taking a while to speak. In his imagination, he had already fathered children with her. Unable to contain his impatience, Tae Pyunghyun fidgeted and opened his mouth.

“Don’t hesitate and tell me, why don’t we meet for a drink…”

— Big brother.

“….Huh?”

He was startled by the sudden low voice. It couldn’t be that Accountant Yu had suddenly grown an Adam’s apple. Moreover, the low voice wasn’t unfamiliar. Tae Pyunghyun stiffened his jaw, which had been loose with a silly grin.

“Baekwoo?”

— Yes.

A short reply came back, followed by,

— Did you take Cha Hongjo, big brother?

“I did, why? Why are you at the office?”

He couldn’t relax no matter how hard he tried. He had been excited thinking that Accountant Yu had called him, but this was a cold shower.

“Don’t tell me you went all the way there looking for Hongjo. Didn’t Hongjo tell you?”

— …Please put Cha Hongjo on the phone.

“Hongjo is resting in his room. Don’t worry about him, will you put Accountant Yu on?”

— Please put Cha Hongjo on the phone.

“Oh, you stubborn bastard…”

Tae Pyunghyun lowered the receiver under his chin and muttered with a frown. A nuisance, there was no bigger nuisance than this. Out of the blue, he had volunteered to be Cha Hongjo’s manager, which resulted in him being caught in the crossfire with Mrs. Lee, and now he was interrupting his attempt to build a bridge of love with Accountant Yu.

Tae Pyunghyun grumbled continuously and stood up, walking to the closed door.

Then he knocked twice.

There was no response, so he knocked twice again, and without waiting any longer, he opened the door.

“Come out.”

“….Why?”

Cha Hongjo only slightly opened his eyelids, lying sprawled with his arm as a pillow. Perhaps because he was annoyed with Go Baekwoo, Cha Hongjo’s indolent appearance also irritated him.

“You have a phone call.”

“…….”

Cha Hongjo sat up. There was only one person who would look for him through Tae Pyunghyun.

🔥

— Hello.

Cha Hongjo’s voice sounded gentler over the phone than in person.

“….Cha Hongjo.”

Go Baekwoo’s voice calling Cha Hongjo was moist, as if he had buried tears beneath his vocal cords.

He had considered that it might be better not to call at all. He was worried he might lose control and snap at Cha Hongjo. But when he actually heard his voice, far from being angry…

“Where are you?”

Only his longing intensified.

— Why ask when you already know?

“…….”

Something tangled and knotted, seemingly impossible to unravel, surged up in his chest and choked his throat. His lips trembled.

— …….

“…….”

— Pretty boy, are you mad?

“…….”

He couldn’t readily answer. He couldn’t say he wasn’t angry, nor could he say he was.

He resented Cha Hongjo for running off to Tae Pyunghyun without a word, but he didn’t hate him either. Hearing his voice made him feel that way. With every passing second, his longing only deepened. He wanted to see him right now.

“….Did you eat?”

Go Baekwoo chose to ask after his well-being instead of conveying his tangled emotions.

— I ate.

“Okay… How is the house?”

— It’s just a house.

Go Baekwoo wiped his dry forehead, swallowed a sigh, and chose his next words.

Should he ask what he was doing now, what he was planning to do tomorrow? Those kinds of everyday questions. Or should he say what he originally intended to say? Should he question him, asking why he left without a word, without waiting for him even a moment? Or should he suggest they meet tomorrow? Should he tell him he’d come pick him up, that Tae Pyunghyun could be his manager, but he wanted him to stay by his side?

Amidst the whirlwind of his thoughts, the one sentence he chose was,

“….I miss you.”

The shortest, yet the most impactful words.

Cha Hongjo laughed.

— You sound like a girlfriend whose boyfriend went to the army.

“I’m serious.”

— Who said you weren’t?

“….What’s he doing tomorrow?”

— I don’t know.

“Let’s meet if we can. I’ll go there.”